It was father’s day yesterday and, as I did a post about my favourite mothers in literature when the equivalent parental day came along earlier this year, I felt it only right that I now redress the balance. So here goes (in no particular order):

Mr Bennet (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) was a man that fought (discreetly) for his daughters at a time when it was unfashionable to do so. His pride (yes, sorry, intentional word pun use there) was, of course, Lizzy Bennet, and his admiration of both her intelligence and grit was emotionally and beautifully written.

Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee) was better know for his integrity and desire to fight for what was right despite the odds, but his two young children were taught the same values along the way – a great father figure indeed.

Don Vito Corleone (The Godfather by Mario Puzo) was a man of principle and, despite his (many, many, many) faults, family meant everything to him – the sacrifices he made (yes, including being a mafia boss) were made to better the life of his children, however short-sighted and noxious that thinking turned out to be.

Arthur Weasley (Harry Potter series by JK Rowling) experienced it all: love, friendship, derision, anger, fear, loss. Yet he always maintained his principles and passed his open-minded and inclusive view of the world onto his children. He may not have been successful at protecting them all, but he certainly endeavoured to do so, often putting his life at risk for his belief in creating a better world for them to live it.

Great list! I’d forgotten about Mr Rivers- been a while since I last read the Malory Towers books. And you’ve reminded me of another of my favourite flawed fathers in crime fiction – Harry Bosch from the Michael Connelly novels. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 😊

Love this post. Fathers in literature may be more abundant in the father-figure archetype than actual fathers, it seems. Or, I should say, modern fathers as they are now are not as often adored or esteemed, for better or for worse. They seem to be a comedy trope more commonly, which is kind of sad, because the father characters you mention are great figures. Men of the modern day are still great humans!